Print PageSCOOP - July 2007
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1) IEEE Online Rosters 2) IEEE UCE/Spam Filtering Policy to Change from “Opt-In” to “Opt Out” 3) IEEE Seeking New Initiative Proposals 4) IEEE Mentoring Connection 5) Geographic Unit Finance Reminders 6) IEEE Sections Congress 2008
1) IEEE ONLINE ROSTERS: The new IEEE Business Management System (BMS) is set to launch in August. IEEE began data migration on 30 June and is moving ahead on schedule. Due to this system upgrade, the IEEE Rosters (Part I - IEEE Corporate Organization Roster, Part II - Technical Activities Roster, Part III – Geographic Roster, IEEE Educational Activities Councils and Committees Roster and the IEEE-USA Committees and Boards) will not be updated during the month of August. What this means to you: During the migration period, postal and email address changes, and other changes to contact information will be accepted from the web applications and processed by IEEE staff, but changes made after 4 August will not be visible in the roster until late August. Officer Reporting after 30 June will continue to be accepted, but also will not be reflected in the roster until late August. IEEE will offer online training for the updated SAMIEEE application (Analytics), beginning in late August. Please watch for additional information about these sessions. 2) IEEE UCE/SPAM FILTERING SERVICE TO CHANGE FROM “OPT-IN” TO “OPT-OUT” IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE UNSOLICITED MESSAGES SENT TO IEEE MEMBER EMAIL ALIASES: To help reduce the increasingly large volume of unsolicited commercial email messages – commonly known as spam – being sent to ieee.org email addresses from outside sources, the IEEE UCE/spam filtering service will be changing from the current “opt-in” policy to an “opt-out” policy. On 20 August 2007, a default spam filtering level, expected to reduce the volume of email sent to ieee.org addresses by 30 percent, will be applied to all IEEE email aliases. It is designed to filter out email that is extremely likely to be UCE/spam. In the past, this filtering service had to be individually activated by each user. Those who do not wish to have the default spam filtering level applied to their IEEE email alias can select to “opt-out” at https://uce.ieee.org and choose the “No UCE/Spam filtering” option, or select a more aggressive filter level. After choosing this option, click on the “Set UCE/Spam Filtering Level” button to save the changes. If no action is taken by 20 August, the default spam filtering level will be activated. Subscribers can opt-out of the filtering service at any time. For more details on why the new policy was implemented, how the policy will improve email delivery through internet service providers and the aggressiveness of the service, visit https://uce.ieee.org/opt-out-info.html. Questions can be directed to member-services@ieee.org. 3) IEEE SEEKING NEW INITIATIVE PROPOSALS The New Initiatives Committee (NIC) is now seeking proposals for IEEE New Initiatives as part of its two new programs: Rolling Submissions and Seed Grants. The NIC encourages wide dissemination of the program guidelines across the enterprise, and looks forward to receiving promising proposals. The committee will be meeting monthly, beginning in August, to review proposals. There is money available for the immediate funding of proposals approved during the balance of the 2007 fiscal year. Details of the new programs and the forms associated with them, can be found on the IEEE New Initiatives web page located at: http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/initiatives/index.html About the new programs Rolling Submissions. The Rolling Submissions process (RSP) accepts proposals at any point in time with a decision to fund being rendered, in most instances, within 90 days of submission. Minimum funding requirement for RSP initiatives is US $100,000 all of which should be expended during the first 12 months of the initiative. A brief project proposal form, which outlines the project, how it supports IEEE's strategic direction, estimated funding required and the project’s goals and desired outcomes, is required. If this short proposal is supported by the NIC, the project leader will be asked to develop a full project plan for approval by the NIC. Seed Grants. The Seed Grant process (SGP) is designed to encourage any individual or group in the IEEE to innovate and be creative in the development of new programs, services, or activities that have the potential to move IEEE towards achieving its strategic objectives. Seed grant applicants may apply for up to US $25,000. Decisions on Seed Grants are made by the NIC within 45 days, and funding is immediate. If approved, seed grant projects must be completed within one year. Submitting a Proposal. Completed proposals should be submitted by email to newinitiatives@ieee.org. Questions regarding any aspect of the New Initiatives program should be directed to Lew Terman (l.terman@ieee.org), John Keaton (j.c.keaton@ieee.org) or Matt Loeb (m.loeb@ieee.org). 4) THE IEEE MENTORING CONNECTION SEEKS NEW MEMBERS: The IEEE Mentoring Connection is seeking additional "online" mentors to help guide younger professionals in career planning and professional development. Mentor participation is open to all higher grade IEEE members. The program is connecting members around the world. For example, currently a mentor in Florida is partnered with members in Hong Kong and China, and a mentor in Ireland is partnered with a member in Saudi Arabia. Other mentors in the United States are currently matched with individuals in Japan, Nigeria and India. A total of 854 mentees and 379 mentors have registered for the program to date. Since its inception, 166 mentor/mentee pairs have been established, with several other partnerships in the process of being finalized. Potential mentors are asked to review the time and effort commitment to the program necessary to ensure a successful mentoring partnership. Currently, mentors are asked to dedicate a minimum of two hours a month. Interested members can visit <http://www.ieee.org/mentoring> for more information on the roles and responsibilities of each mentoring partner, including additional program information and an FAQ page. To join the program, visit <http://www.mentoringconnection.com> and use the IEEE Group ID "IEEE2006" to open the site, followed by a Password and User ID set-up process. Members with questions can contact Cathy Downer at "MailTo:c.downer@ieee.org". 5) BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR IEEE UNIT TREASURERS Job details for the Unit Treasurer can vary, depending on the size and activity of the Unit. For example, IEEE Sections range in size from those with under 75 members, to one with more than 10,000 members, so it follows that the volunteers’ work varies as well. However, in spite of Section differences, basic good business practices are the same for all. Following are three essential tasks for all IEEE unit treasurers: (A) The Treasurer should present the Section/Chapter check register(s) to the Section ExCom at least two times during the year for review and approval. A Check register should always include name, date, amount, budget line and purpose for each transaction (for example, expense reimbursement, services provided, etc). The reason for this is to provide an independent review of expenses, and to ensure that the Section ExCom is informed and approves unit expenses. (B) The Unit Chair and Treasurer should periodically review the original monthly account statements and compare them to a recent financial report. It is good business practice for unit leaders to review account activity so that more than one person has oversight of the financial records. (C) All IEEE units must submit their signature/bank account cards, signed by all authorized unit officers, to IEEE for the required staff signature. The cards are then mailed from IEEE directly back to the bank. This is to ensure that appropriate authorized signers and accurate signatures are on all accounts for the protection of IEEE assets and the protection of the Unit officers. Please be sure to remove all outgoing officers from the unit bank account For Units outside of the United States, should local laws or banking rules prohibit this; an exemption must be obtained, using the form in the L50 Financial Report. 6) IEEE SECTIONS CONGRESS 2008 As a reminder, IEEE Sections Congress 2008 will be held in Quebec City, Canada on 19 - 22 September. The theme for SC08 is “Celebrating Volunteer Achievements Worldwide”. The specific program for the event is being developed by the SC08 Program Committee. An official call for speakers will be distributed in August. The IEEE Board of Directors has agreed to conduct the 2008 IEEE Honors Ceremony with IEEE Sections Congress. This ceremony highlights the accomplishments of each year's IEEE Award and Medal recipients. All SC’08 participants will be invited to attend the ceremony. Please plan on having a representative from your Section attend SC08. Start budgeting now to send at least one representative from your Section. Please be aware of the entry requirements to Canada. U. S. Citizens are required to present a valid passport when traveling to/from Canada. Information regarding Visa requirements is available at the following URL: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp Additional information on IEEE Sections Congress is available at the following URL: http://www.ieee.org/sc2008 |
